Starter spring construction



J. c. BANDLI 2,659,454

STARTER SPRING CONSTRUCTION Filed Jan. 9, 1948 gwumtob dZH/v a Biz/v17 Patented Nov. 17, 1953 2,659,454 STARTER SPRING CONSTRUCTION John C. Bandli, Minneapolis,

Minn., assignor to Scott-Atwater Manufacturing Company, Minneapolis, Minn., a corporation of Minnesota Application January 9, 1948, Serial No. 1,470

2 Claims.

This invention relates to a spring mounting, and while the invention might have many applications, it is illustrated as used in connection with an outboard motor. Outboard motors are commonly provided with an internal combustion motor having a fly wheel which is usually located at the top of the device. This fly-wheel is rotated in starting or cranking the motor. Said rotation is commonly done by pulling upon a cord or cable wound on a pulley, which pulley is constructed and arranged to be connected to said fly-wheel and to be disconnected from said fly-wheel. This rotation of the pulley takes place against the tension of a spring usually of the spiral plate type so that said spring is wound up in said rotation. After the fly-wheel is given several rotations it is released to continue its rotation when the motor starts while the direction of rotation of the pulley is reversed by action of said spring. The pull or tension on the cord or cable is relieved, the spring unwinds and rotates the pulley in the reverse direction. The pulley is stopped when the cord or cable is completely wound up thereon and great stress is .placed upon the fastening for the inner end of the spring. The spring unwinds completely and the momentum thereof causes said stress which results in reverse bending of the spring at its point of attachment. It has been a rather frequent occurrence that the inner and attached end of the spring is thus bent or broken.

It is an object of this invention to provide a simple and efiicient mounting for a spring of the spiral type so that the end thereof will not be bent or broken.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a member adapted to be rotated, a spiral spring connected at one end to said member against the tension of which said member is rotated and which is wound in the rotation of said member, said end of said spring being detachably connected to said member so that when said spring unwinds and said member moves in the opposite direction, said spring will be released and will not be bent or broken.

It is another object of the invention to provide a spring mounting comprising a member to be rotated, a spiral spring against the tension of which said member i rotated, means for rotating said member, said member having a spring connecting means thereon, said spring having a hook formed at its end adapted to engage said means so that when said member is rotated in-one direction said end will be pulled upon and said spring wound, but when said member rotates in the opposite direction and said spring unwinds, said end will release from said means.

It is still another object of the invention to provide such a structure as set forth in the preceding paragraph, together with cam means on said member for guiding the end of said spring when it is released.

It is more specifically an object of the invention to provide a spring mounting comprising a member adapted to be rotated and having a cylindrical periphery, a spiral spring disposed about said member and having its inner end connected to said member, means for rotating said member against the tension of said spring and to wind said spring, said member having a recess extending inwardly from its periphery hav ing a curved surface, a pin adjacent said surface, said spring having its end formed as an inwardly directed hook adapted to hook over said pin so that when said member is rotated in one direction said end will be pulled upon and said spring will be wound, but when said member is rotated in the opposite direction and said spring unwound, said hook will release from said pin and will be guided radially outwardly'by said curved surface.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be fully set forth in the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views and in which:

Fig. 1 is a view partly in top plan and partly in horizontal cross section showing the starting mechanism of an outboard motor;

Fig. 2 is a substantially central vertical section of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a partial plan view showing a modification.

Referring to the drawings, portions of an outboard motor are shown including a portion of a casing 20 which is usually at'the top of the device and which surrounds the fly-wheel 2| connected to the crankshaft of the motor. Casing 20 may comprise the gas tank of the device. A casing 23 of general inverted cup-shape is se cured to casing 20 by circumferentially spaced screws 24 extending through lugs 23a formed on casing 23. Spring washers 25 are shown disposed under the heads of screws 24 and engaging lugs 23a. Casing 23 has a central hub 23b bored to have pass therethrough a reduced threaded end 2111 of a shaft or stud 21. Said hub 23!) is counter-bored at its upper end and a washer 28 surrounds portion 21a, the same seating on the bottom of said counter-bore. A nut 29 of comparatively small thickness is threaded on portion 21a and engages 'washer 2 Shaft 21 is thus rigidly held in casing 23. Shaft 21 has an axial opening therethrough for locating certain parts in assembly. A small cover plate 26 formed of a resilient plateis proyided, the outeredge portion of whieh is adapted to [snap into 'an'd be disposed'in an annular'grooveformedin the top of hub 23b. cylindrical portion on which is the superposed plates 30b and tqc having ce n tral annular engaging portions cl'qnnected by "cir cumferentially spaced rivets 31 i P lateiisp bis rep from" or spaced versely bent so as to be oifs'et from plate 300 at the outer" portions 'offsaid plates so that the same form a peripheral gro oye for pulley 3B. Hub 38a ,has a downwardlypro jecting annular portion 30d which extends through acen'tral opening in plates "30b and 300 and is turned "over orfspu'n outwardly 'over'plate 390 so thatsaid plates are fir mly' connectedto hub 30m Shaft 2! has 'anannular'p'ortion or collar 210 on which hub 38d rests; and said shaft has a cylindrical portion beneath'said collar on which is journaled the hub 32a, of -a guide means or member '32 which need not be considered in connection with this invention. A spring washe'r' 33engages 'the'underside of member 32 and is held in 'pla ce by a retaining ring 3 seated'in an annular'g'roove in the lower end of shaft 21. Pulley or sheave Si! is adapted to be rotated by the operatorland'for this" purpose a flexible member 36" is providedillustrated "as in the form of a rope or cable, which rope preferably has disposed aii'all'y therein a metal meinberS'l, such as a braided;bronzejcablei Rope: 36' is secured'to pulley "38 inariy suitable manner; as by having cable 31 formed into an eyelet 31a and connected to plate 3!!!) "byany suitable f astening means; such as" a pin Rope 3 6"is coiled'in the groove of pulleyfid in spiral form, as shown in Fig 1, saidjro'pfeextendingoiitwardly through the bore in a mono projecting at one sidof easing. Rope 36 has connected to its'end in any suitable ma1'1 nr', a'khobfoitihandle 40! A spring fillu strated as "a strip coiledinto spiral form, isdisposed inithel'e'ntral portionpf pulley 3! one end thereof being 'i eversely"- bent and riveted to'form an eye'through which passes a pin 46 which is securedfin' the top of acupshaped spring enclosinglmernber'48 and projects downwardly into said "eyef Spring '45 "surrounds the hub 30a, which"hub has'acylindrical"pe= ripher'y; "A recess'30aa'is'formed' or milled into the side of hub 30a, and a pin'41' is s'ecu'redin the lower'portionbf hub 30d and upstands in said recess 30cm. In accordance with thepres ent'inventionthe inner'en'dof spring 45 is formed into an inwardly directed hook 45aof semi-cylindrical form and 'of fa" size"to"fitaboutpin 4'1. Casing 23"h as an armu ar dependingflange 23d, the inner side (if Whip?!" 'iS bloslyfidjaent the downwardlyextending side of a"memb'e'r '48, the central'portion'of whichis held'b'etwen hub 21 and hub 23b1' 'lvfem'ber48' thus ouse's spring 45. Plates" spans 52 aresecuredfto'the top or flywheel 2'! inany suit bleinanner, as by rivets 45; said platesbeing verticallyf spaced at their outer portions. These'plates ar'e not pertinent to the presentinvention. small pin Baconnec ts shaft 21 to member.

In operation when the 'motorof the device is to be started theoperat'or pulls outwardly upon Shaft 2! has an intermediate journaled the hub 30a of a sheave o1 pulley 3D. Pulleyjji, comprises go of the knob 0r releases knob 40, thus pulling on rope 36 and rotating pulley 30. Hub 30a is thus rotated and said pulley and hub rotate against the tension of spring 45, which spring is wound when knob 40 is pulled outwardly. Spring 45 is formed to press against the side of hub 30a, as shown in Fig. 1, e9 tha (i #WWSW ,.i tnees ti to have P '4'lengage1'flinthe hook'145 aat its end. Spring 45 is'thuspulled'aroundand wound. After pulling outwardly on the knob 40, the operator lets the tension on rope 35 andthe pulley 3D is rotated rather rapidly in the opposite direction as spring 45 unwinds and It has been found moves to' ts no'rm'al"position. inQpr ctic thatwhen the inner end of spring '45 "is"'p'dsitively connected to hub 36a, as

shown inthempending application of Daniel A. Armstrong and Herald K. Palmer, S. N. 614,792, filed"September 6, 1945,, now Patent 2,592,639, the inertia or momentum of hub 30a and attached"partsis'such that it makes one or more rvolutionsafterthe spring is unwound and this ca'use'sthe end'of' the spring to bend and often to"fracture."".The :h'ub 30a and attached parts acquire considerable rotative' momentum when te'nsion cn"rope"35?is suddenly relieved and the spring uhwin'd's. .Ifjthe en'd o'flthe spring is positively'connected to'the hub 30a an'd'pulley 32 tliehubacts to bend the end of the spring and to kink and breakthe'same. The hub and attached parts have great inertia. The structure is provided particularly 'for cases where the rope 3'5 breaksfth knob iaapuus 011 of .the rope or where rope is'relea'sed so suddenly that the hub 38a, and the'att'ache'd parts acquire great momentum. In'many 's'ucli' asesithasbeen necessary to replace'tlie spring as well as thebroke'n rope. With thepresents'tructure the inner end of spring 45 merely moves'a'way from pin '41, as indicated in dottedlines inFig. 1; and is guided outwardly relative to hub "30a'by the"curved'surface' of the recess 30aa.""'1he"spring continues to hu or engagethep eripheryofihuba 50 that when the knob 40' isagain'pulledupon, pin 4'! picks up the h'oo'k"45tz"so that 'th'esp'rlng is again connected tojnub'sou' and 'is"pulled"around' and wound thereby: "-4. .1, i an 7 In Fig. 3 a modified form of hub 35a is shown. The same has'amecess 3Ilab formed in the side at one" 'e'nd'of which isformed a projection 30cc having a "substantially semi' cylindrical surface. Thespring45" "forme'd'with the hook 45a'as already described, so'that when hub 30a is rotated'in a clockwise direction "as when knob 40 is pulled outwardly, projection 39acwill pick up spring 45 f"so"that"sa'id 'spring'will be carried around with'hub"3fla;"'and"woundi When knob 40' isfrele'ased 'and"sprin'g 45 unwinds, the monieritum' of its inner'end will "cause said spring and its'hook' l5a"to 'move away from projection 3mm: The hook zswwiube guided outwardly by the" surface 'of'recess auaband will move around the peripheryorhut-audfi "From' the abovedescription it will be seen that I have provided a mountiirgfor 's pri ng45'whic'h insures that's'ai'd' spring will not be'b'roken when it unwinds." The spring performs all' or its intendedrunctionsjust as weu "as" when it is positivelifbon'rictedto hub 3Qdl Tli'eiriVhtion therefore constitutes quite fa r'i "advanoejin' the art and cures itliobjectionable aouoirorths spring being bent andbrok 'Thef ce hasbeen amply demonstrated in aptu'abp ractice, found to be very successful and'efficieiitarid', the same is bein comm-ordain"made? It will of course be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, arrangement and proportions of the parts, without departing from the scope of applicants invention which, generally stated, consists in a device capable of carrying out the objects above set forth, in the parts and combinations of parts disclosed and defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An outboard motor structure having in combination, a member adapted to be rotated in one direction and being freely rotatable in the opposite direction having a substantially cylindrical hub, a spiral spring fixed at one end and having its other end bent into an open loop, said spring being tensioned so that one side of said loop is held in engagement with and moved in engagement with the periphery of said hub, means on said hub disposed in the path of said loop engaged by said loop when said hub is ro tated in said one direction, and means for rotating said member in said first mentioned direction to cause said loop to engage said first mentioned means and rotate said member and wind up said spring, whereby when said last men- JOHN C. BANDLI.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,144,410 Grose June 29, 1915 1,144,581 Becker June 29, 1915 1,384,426 Burton July 12, 1921 1,427,465 Hess et a1. Aug. 29, 1922 1,449,865 Maas Mar. 27, 1923 1,575,695 LaRue Mar. 9, 1926 2,159,623 Schmidt May 23, 1939 

